


through a glass darkly

by betony



Category: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 17:38:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4188879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betony/pseuds/betony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwendolen returns. Janet can manage rather well on her own, however.</p>
            </blockquote>





	through a glass darkly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [possibilityleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/gifts).



Janet Chant, quite aside from being Chrestomanci's well-loved ward, maid of honor to his daughter Julia, and arguably the most enterprising non-magical person in all Twelve-A, was firmly in possession of a vivid imagination. So when Janet looked into the mirror on particular morning and saw Gwendolen looking out, she couldn't honestly say she'd never supposed such a thing would ever happen. She could, however, and did say that it was simply the most abominable timing. 

"And don't think you'll have me believe you chose today by accident," Janet added, scowling at her reflection-- _at Gwendolen_ \--with murder in her heart. 

Gwendolen simpered. "Of course not. What sort of cousin would I be if I didn't wish darling Julia my best on her wedding day? And to see my baby brother all grown up, only a convenient accident away from becoming the next Chrestomanci." 

Janet ground her teeth. That was one thing she loathed about Gwendolen: how she had so easily calculated the faults in Janet's defenses. In some ways Gwendolen was right; Julia was hers by blood, not to mention Cat. But in others she was utterly wrong. Cat was Janet's in all the ways that mattered, and Julia, and Chrestomanci, too. 

Gwendolen raised her nose, looking cool and haughty. And this was another thing that Janet disliked too: that the good looks she and Gwendolen shared apparently bloomed in the face of black-hearted villainy. Janet at her best, even in her maid-of-honor finery, could hope for being very pretty; Gwendolen was nothing short of beautiful. It added insult to injury. 

"Go on," Janet grumbled. "You didn't look through a mirror like some wicked queen just to be nasty to me. What do you want, really?"

"Exactly what I said," replied Gwendolen. "To wish Julia my best. To see Cat again. Oh, and I suppose I'll have to deal with Reginald? Ronald?" 

"Roger," said Janet frostily. "And I think you'll have to go without. We're all terribly busy without having to defeat you again." 

Gwendolen laughed. "Oh, but darling--you've already done everything you needed to. Now that you've looked through your mirror and seen me, I can see all that passes before your eyes, and it's not much more of a stretch from that to moving everything your hands can reach." To demonstrate, she moved a curl that Janet had daringly let fall out of her bun back behind her ear. "It's a terribly clever bit of magic, you see--but then again, however could I expect you to understand?" 

Janet gritted her teeth. That was the most vexing part of this entire bloody world. Everyone seemed to think that being born without magic meant you might as well have been born without an arm, or a leg. She found even the Family doing it at times, when they weren't careful about it.

Still, Janet thought. Gwendolen being just as bad as the rest of them gave her an advantage. It wouldn't do to spoil it too quickly. 

"Now all those tedious explainations are over," Gwendolen said, "do let's go on with our day. We wouldn't want Julia to worry, would we?"

The sensible thing to do would be to find Chrestomanci and Millie at once and explain everything. But Janet had seen them stepping into the antechamber where Julia waited in her bridal finery, and even Chrestomanci's eyes had looked a little misty. And Cat? Cat was huddled into a corner, going over the words of his wedding toast for what must be the hundredth time. They none of them needed to be bothered on a day such as this. Gwendolen wasn't worth it, Janet thought savagely. 

So instead Janet reached forward and took the mirror off the wall, carrying it carefully into the bathroom. Gwendolen would make nothing of it; or if she did, she would just assume that Janet didn't want a mirror connected to her wicked alternate anywhere near, which was entirely true. Gingerly she propped the mirror up against the opposite wall from the bathroom's own wall-length mirror, making sure the two were parallel. That part was important; she remembered her physics master mentioning that. 

"Gwendolen," Janet said, letting all the scorn she felt come out in her voice, "I don't suppose you gave any thought to what a boring thing it is, just to sit around in my mind? It shan't do you much good, you know. I'll be sure to be as boring as I know--" 

Gwendolen huffed. "Weren't you paying attention. Once I've my mirror in my place, it's only a step away from crossing through." 

"Then do it now, why don't you? Why waste your time? Unless you can't, of course. Looks like Chrestomanci's more powerful than you even now." 

There was a terrible silence. At last Gwendolen said: "When I do, I'll save you for last. I did mean to kill you first to make up for taking you out of your world, you know. But now I know I'll let you watch all my fun before I get around to it." 

She started muttering some arcane words and as she did, Janet looked ahead into a series of mirrors reflecting mirrors reflecting mirrors. She could tell the exact moment when Gwendolen realized what she'd done. There was a very small scream, and a pop, and then nothing at all except the familiarity of Janet's own thoughts. 

"Behind the mirror was always my favorite hiding-place," Janet said, and went downstairs to join the wedding party.


End file.
